Sense and Goodness

Books: Children's Rights

2012-01-13T00:08:00.001+01:00

Jacqueline Bhabha – "Children without a State" James Dwyer – "Moral Status and Human Life" James Dwyer – "The Relationship Rights of Children" James Dwyer – "Vouchers Within Reason" James Dwyer – "Religious Schools vs. Children’s Rights" Laura Purdy – "In Their Best Interest?" Priscilla Alderson - "Young Children's Rights"

The “Witch” Children

2011-12-12T20:48:00.000+01:00

In many parts of Africa, defenseless children are being labeled as “witches”, and the orphaned, sick, disabled and poor, are most likely to be accused. If they are lucky, they are just abandoned by their parents and survive. Tens of thousands children have been accused over the past decade. Thousands have been murdered or have died due to injuries after beatings, torture and/or exorcisms. The

Atheists do Good for Nothing?

2011-12-09T15:42:00.003+01:00

Since "atheism" is simply "belief that no gods exist", there are a host of different reasons and motivations atheists can have for doing good deeds. These are my reasons and motivations: I believe that the Progress and Welfare of Humankind is the greatest good. I believe that every human being has a Right to a minimally Decent life. I believe that every human being wants to be Happy. I'm moved

Atheists Believe in Nothing?

2011-12-09T15:35:00.000+01:00

Many religious look upon atheists as people who "believe in nothing" But since Atheism is simply "belief that no gods exist", it does not say anything about other beliefs a person have. Atheists believe in many different things. Some atheists believe in other kinds of supernatural phenomena, such as ghosts. There are atheists who are communists, anarchists, liberals, etc. I'm a Naturalist - do

Hillary Clinton on LGBT rights

2011-12-07T00:41:00.001+01:00

Save the Children: One Life Campaign

2011-12-06T23:40:00.002+01:00

One Life Campaign: Animated Appeal for East Africa Famine from One Life Campaign on Vimeo. Støtt Redd Barna HER One Life Campaign på Facebook

En Humanist Tenner Lys

2011-11-27T15:26:00.003+01:00

Av Mats Liland Tenn lys, et lys skal brenne for rasjonalitet Empirisk evidens, progress, nysgjerrighet For åpenhet og skepsis – kritisk refleksjon En bedre verden skapes, det er vår intensjon Tenn lys, to lys skal skinne for alle barn på jord Vi kjemper for at alle er trygge der de bor Mange barn de lider fra overgrep og vold Vi ofrer oss for dem, gå foran som et skjold Tenn lys, tre lys skal

Moral: Selvinteresse og Altruisme

2011-11-10T19:42:00.000+01:00

I en episode av ”Friends” blir Phoebe utfordret av Joey til å komme på en ”uselvisk altruistisk handling” – en handling som kun gagner et annet individ, og ikke gir agenten noe tilfredsstillelse. Vi kan tenke oss flere eksempler på handlinger som er tilsynelatende uselvisk-altruistiske. En granat kastes mot en tropp, og en av soldatene kaster seg over den før den detoneres; han dør, men redder

Video: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2011-11-02T14:45:00.002+01:00

Why Job Interviews Fail

2011-10-07T13:38:00.000+02:00

The unstructured interview is the most used method of hiring, but there is only a weak correlation between such interviews and performance. Of the ten most commonly asked questions during an interview, only one of them is useful! 1. Why should I hire you? 2. What do you see yourself doing in five years from now? 3. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses? 4. How would

Refleksjoner om Adopsjon

2011-09-29T02:40:00.001+02:00

Spørsmålene og Tanker Jeg ble adoptert, fra et vakkert og fattig land. Jeg fikk nye foreldre; mine biologiske ikke kunne ta vare på meg. Jeg bodde på barnehjem, men fikk et nytt og godt hjem. Ett og et halvt år gammel plantet jeg mine små poter på norsk jord for første gang. Et spørsmål jeg tror alle adopterte vil lure på er: ”hvorfor gav mine biologiske foreldre meg bort?” Jeg var nesten

The 20 Dollar Auction

2011-09-28T00:31:00.000+02:00

Imagine you go to Harvard Business School, and it is the first day of class. Your professor Max Bazerman announces a game: he waves a 20 dollar bill in the air, and offers it up for auction. There are four rules: 1. Everyone is free to bid 2. Bids are to be made in 1 dollar increments 3. The winner of the auction wins the bill 4. The runner up must honor his/her bid, while receiving nothing in

Etikken av Mannlig Omskjæring

2011-09-27T00:45:00.001+02:00

Omskjæring er et kirurgisk inngrep hvor man fjerner deler av eller hele forhuden til penis. Ca 30 % av verdens menn er omskåret. Begrunnelsene gitt for omskjæring kan være religiøse og/eller medisinske. Enkelte foreldre omskjærte sin sønn fordi de ville at han skulle ”se ut som” faren, eller fordi ”alle andre gjør det.” Jødedommen og Islam har lang tradisjon med rituell omskjæring, hvor man

Neuroscientist James Fallon's amazing story

2011-09-19T17:51:00.000+02:00

Malcolm Gladwell - Why asking people what they like is sometimes a bad idea

2011-09-18T22:22:00.000+02:00

Malcolm Gladwell - Why do some succeed where others fail?

2011-09-18T21:53:00.000+02:00

I Do Not Fear Nothingness

2011-09-14T01:15:00.002+02:00

I do not fear the darkness of death. Nothingness does not frighten me. I do not want to die; but none of us shall live forever. We are not immortal gods of myths, but fragile human beings. When my brain shut down, what you call mind, or soul, will cease to exist. All my memories will fade away, and only memories of me, stored in the brain-tissue of others, will live on. There is no evidence, no

Signs that a Conspiracy Theory is False

2011-09-14T00:28:00.000+02:00

A conspiracy is: a secret plan, by two or more people, to commit an immoral or subversive action, against another person or group, without their knowledge or consent. The assassination of the Australian archduke Franz Ferdinand was a conspiracy; the assassination of John F. Kennedy was not. How can we tell the difference between a conspiracy fact and conspiracy fantasy? Here are some of the

When the Sane is labeled “Insane”

2011-09-13T02:05:00.001+02:00

If you worked in a mental hospital, would you be able to tell the difference between a “normal” and an “insane” patient? In 1973, 8 people entered into 12 mental hospitals. They reported having had a brief auditory hallucination. They stated that the voice were often unclear, but as far as they could tell it said something like “empty”, “hollow” and “thud”. If pressed, they interpreted the

The Absurdity of the Atonement

2011-08-06T16:47:00.001+02:00

One of the most central elements of Christianity is the atonement. There has never been a consensus among Christians as to what it means and how it works. The dominant view today is the Penal Substitutionary Theory (PST), according to which men had sinned and God could not excuse these sinners because he is perfectly just. Once sin has been punished, God can forgive. Jesus vicariously bore the

The Nature of Love

2011-06-22T22:13:00.000+02:00

Love is the Greatest of all Human Emotions. Love is a Recognition and Deep Regard for the Value of another Person. Love is not just a strong Feeling; it requires Understanding. Love must be both a Flame and a Light. Love must be given Freely by an Unafraid human being. Consummate love is the experience of great joy in the presence of a loved one, great joy in being close to a loved one, and

Reason as the Servant of Desire

2011-06-22T21:35:00.000+02:00

Reason must always keep a check on emotions, making sure they are sending correct signals, and correcting their recommendations when they are not. But, without emotions, reason would be dead. For reason is the slave of emotion. Reason is not a motivator. Reason is a tool. But for that tool to be applied, you must be motivated to apply it, and what you apply it to depends on your goals, which are

The Nature of Emotion

2011-06-10T20:57:00.000+02:00

Emotions enrich our experiences and give us important information about ourselves. Our experience of emotions is the perception of brain-states by the brain itself. Emotions originally served the function of producing a particular behavior, while simultaneously preparing the body for it. They are typically caused by certain stimuli the brain has learned (or in some cases is born) to associate

Richard Carrier on Early Christian Hostility to Science (1 of 8)

2011-06-10T01:10:00.002+02:00

Save the Children: Do you care? (Ad contest 2011)

2011-06-08T20:35:00.000+02:00